Instituto Politécnico de Castelo Branco (IPCB) leads the Portuguese REVITAL rehabilitation pilot in Beira Baixa. The wider programme combines medical exoskeletons, virtual reality systems, biomechanical analysis, teleassistance and digital rehabilitation platforms to support people with reduced mobility. Virtual reality is included in the programme’s plans; the reported Portuguese pilot activity centres on exoskeleton use.
The local pilot began on 8 October 2025 with a testing session for HANK and BELK exoskeletons at IPCB’s Dr. Lopes Dias Higher School of Health (ESALD). GOGOA Mobility Robots supported the demonstration and trained IPCB technicians to use the equipment. Researchers and physiotherapists from IPCB then began a user pilot at the ESALD Pedagogical Clinic in Castelo Branco and in São Miguel d’Acha, under a protocol with the local Parish Council. The pilot is intended to evaluate the technologies’ clinical impact throughout 2026.
REVITAL brings together a consortium from Portugal, Spain and France and is financed through Interreg VI-B Sudoe. Its approved European Regional Development Fund contribution is €1,598,331.75 for the transnational programme as a whole, encompassing more than the Portuguese pilot or its virtual reality component.
